What do you think devotion is?

So many Christian folks have misconstrued the word devotion. Some people see devotion as an obligation and think they may have a bad day if they don’t do it. And on days they manage to do it, they feel like they’ve won a gold star. As the thread of inconsistency continues, they stop doing it altogether. Little wonder you no longer read devotionals despite having stacked up your shelf with them. These people see devotion as an act of service on God’s approval. And if you are one of them, you must forget about devotion. 

Before you quit reading and think bandits have taken over AfrogistGospel, here is what we mean. 

Let’s do a quick mind shift. Devotion is not:

• The 10 or 5 minutes devotional books you read every morning
• The trending gospel songs you listen to during drive time 
• A routine or service for a specific time
• A gold medal marathon race; “if I do it, I will be immune to danger.”
• It is not just the 10 minutes of morning prayer time you spend with your family.

Devotion is the unwavering intimacy you develop knowing Jesus Christ. However, it is beyond the confines of a 5 minutes devotional written by men. 

The problem is we are too preoccupied with so many things, good and bad, that we forget the essence of our being. Whether you are a busy career mom, an overworked business dad, or a lazy college student, you must deeply immerse yourself in God’s Word. When you toss a sponge into a bucket of water and lift it back up, you will discover the sponge’s pores have been completely soaked with water.

Just like a soaked sponge, what if we imbue ourselves in His Word such that every pore of our being is sold out to His Divine nature? This automatically erases the mindset of daily devotions kind of routine or a “chapter a day to keep the devil away” challenge. When you fully position yourself to know God through His Word, you gain insight and revelations that nourish your inner man. And when things don’t go to plan, His words quicken your spirit, John 6:63.

The Word of God is no respecter of time, meaning it is not limited to morning or evening, Sunday service, or Wednesday prayer meetings. Studying the word of God is a lifestyle and not another activity on your to-do list. God speaks, moves, and instructs through the scripture, and you must lead a life dependent on the Bible. 

When you have free time at work, rather than engage in meaningless chitchat or in a long queue to order your favorite pizza, you can pull out your study card or note, ponder and pray over it. What this does is that it refreshes your mind and reassures your spirit. And yes, prayer has a path in all of this. How do you request the interpretation of the revelations you don’t understand? It is through prayer. 

You can see that what you think devotion is, is not what it is. It is the deep communion with the Holy Spirit, a lifestyle rooted in God. Devotion is not what you do; it is who you are.

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Bottom line

Whether you’ve been struggling with devotion or departed from the prayer altar because you thought it was another activity? Toss that thought. And start seeing devotion as a saturation into prayer and God’s word.

Do you have a different opinion about devotion? We’ll like to hear from you; please share with us in the comment.